“In Between the Wars” by Jonathan Lamonte ;)

Taken from the Regents Review Book and notes

Treaty of Versailles

1. United States President Woodrow Wilson, Prime Mister David Lloyd

George of Great Britain joined French leader Georges Clemenceau.
2. Great Britain and France wanted to punish Germany and be sure that it
would never become a threat.
3. Territorial Losses: Land was taken from Germany.
4. Military Restrictions: Germany’s army and navy were limited.
5. War Guilt: Germany had to accept full responsibility for the war.

The League of Nations:

1. a group of more than 40 countries that hoped to settle problems

through negotiation, not war.
2. The United States NEVER joined because they felt that it might drag
them into future European wars.

Collapse of Empires:

1. Breakup of Austria-Hungary:
a. as a result of the war, the government in Austria-Hungary
collapsed.
b. Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were formed.
c. Italy and Romania gained land.
2. Breakup of the Ottoman Empire:
a. was defeated in 1918.
b. Most of the land was now in control by Great Britain and France.
c. The remainder became the country of Turkey.

Unfulfilled National Goals

1. Germany was horrified by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

2. Italy wanted more land than what it received.
3. Nations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia struggled for self-
determination. In many cases, nationalists were influenced by western
ideas. Even so, they were determined to throw off western rule.

Turkish Nationalism:

1. Kemal Ataturk overthrew the sultan, defeated western occupation

forces, and declared Turkey a republic. His name means “father of the
Turks.”
2. Ataturk wanted to modernize and westernize Turkey.
 3. He believed that Turkey had a chance to survive. In accomplishing his
goals, he introduced great changes.

Iranian Nationalism:

1. Reza Khan, an army officer, overthrew the ruler of Iran, called the
shah.
2. He quickly tried to modernize and westernize Iran and make it fully
independent.

Arab Nationalism:

1. Unity of all Arab people based on their shared heritage.

Zionism:
1. Jewish people wanted to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. This was
a problem because the Arab people were already living there.
2. The Allies made a conflicting promise during World War I. They had
promised Arab lands that included Palestine.
3. As more Jews moved to Palestine to escape persecution, tensions
grew.

Indian Nationalism:

1. Indians had few rights. During World War I, Great Britain promised
India greater self-government. After the war was over, they still didn’t
fulfill these promises.
2. There was a turning point in 1919. There were riots and attacks on
British citizens in the city of Amritsar. On April 13, British troops fired
on them without warning them, killing 400 people in the process. This
convinced many that British rule must be ended.
3. Mohandas Gandhi headed the Indian Nationalist movement. He
taught that nonviolent resistance, and civil disobedience, rather than
bloodshed, were the way to win rights.
4. He used boycotting, or refusing to buy, British goods and peaceful
movements such as the “The Salt March”

Egyptian Nationalism:

1. Protect the British Canal

2. There was a revolution in 1919. The new party did not improve Egypt.
3. Reforms by Socialists, Gamal Abdul Nasser

Worldwide Depression:

1. After WWI, economic problems emerged in Europe. Nations had war

debts to pay and cities to rebuild.
 2. The United States on the other hand experienced an economic boom
after the war.
3. This came to an end with the crash of the American stock market in
1929. This event triggered the Great Depression of the 1930s
4. Causes of the Great Depression:
a. WWI
b. unemployment
c. America booms and crashes
5. Impact of the Depression:
a. Economy collapses, unemployment, extreme nationalism in
strong leaders.
b. Communist leaders thought they saw the fall of capitalism.

The Rise of Fascism:

1. Fascism is the rule of a people by dictatorial government that is

nationalistic and imperialistic.
2. It usually has:
a. strong military
b. extreme nationalism
c. use of violence and terror
d. blind loyalty to leader
e. censorship and government control of news.

Mussolini in Italy:

1. Mussolini took advantage of the unrest in Italy and created the Fascist
Party. He pledged to solve the nation’s problems and strengthen Italy.
2. Mussolini promised to end unemployment and gain more land for Italy.
His goal was to outlaw the rebellion among workers and eliminate
communism completely.
3. Mussolini was an orator and provided stability. He attempted to
recreate the Roman Empire.
4. In 1922, the Fascists used force and terror to gain control of Italy.
5. They ended free elections, free speech and the free press. They killed
or jailed their enemies. Grasping desperately for order, Italian put the
goals of the state above the people’s rights.

Hitler in Germany:

1. The German Workers Party – led by Anton Drexler was formed in 1919.
2. Hitler joined and soon became the leader.
3. His speeches gave people scapegoats to blame for Germany’s
problems.
4. Beer Hall Putsch (1923) was the Nazi’s first attempt at power.
 5. They tried to force leaders of the Bavarian government into supporting
his march on Berlin. The Bavarian government agrees, but reneged
the day of the march.
6. Hitler was arrested and put in jail for five years.
7. In jail, Hitler writes a book: Mein Kampft – ideas such as national
socialism, propaganda, racism, lebensraum, and a strong government.

Hitler gains support: How?

1. Lower class: Calls them victims

2. Farmers: propaganda
3. Young people: leadership at young ages
4. Upper class: blaming banks for the economy.

Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany:

1. Reichstag building damaged badly by fire.
2. Hitler took this opportunity to blame the communist revolution. He
establishes a police state and freedom of press is abolished.
3. Totalitarian State (1936) – one party government called the Third
Reich.
4. Propaganda controlled all them media.
5. SS Troops – Gestapo

The Third Reich:

1. Boycotts Jewish businesses

2. rearms Germany
3. nationalism
4. anti-semetic policies
5. social changes – nazification of youth and Concentration camps.

Nuremberg Laws (1935)

1. took away political rights and German citizenship from Jews.

a. Anyone with 2-3 grandparents that were Jewish was considered a
Jew.

Kristalnacht (1938) – Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass

1. organized pogroms (basically, legal riots against the Jews)

2. 1,000 burned synagogues
3. 7,000 Jewish businesses were trashed and looted.
4. dozen of Jewish people were killed.
5. Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools and homes

Life in Ghettos
1. The Germans aimed to control Jewish populations by forcing them to
live in marked-off sections of towns called ghettos.
2. Ghettos were enclosed by barbed wire fences or walls with entrances
guarded by local and German police (SS Members)
3. Ghetto life was unbearable.